Queen excluder

[Heather]

Sorry, gang, but feel this needs an independent thread.

There should be NO queen excluders in place now.. or you may lose that colony.
I still have calls in the Spring with someone bemoaning the fact that colony dead... and they admit QE was inadvertently left in...

 

[enrico]

Well said Heather, and mouse guards should be going on, all reduced entrances should have the hole closest to the floor, any insulation should be being fitted now if you use it! A weekly heft to get some idea of incoming food and food used is worthwhile. Put your order in to your local bakers for a box of fondant, oh! And don't forget to buy your Christmas presents! Mine especially!
E x

 

[pargyle]

Well said Heather, and mouse guards should be going on, all reduced entrances should have the hole closest to the floor, any insulation should be being fitted now if you use it! A weekly heft to get some idea of incoming food and food used is worthwhile. Put your order in to your local bakers for a box of fondant, oh! And don't forget to buy your Christmas presents! Mine especially!
E x

Not sure about the mouseguards or reduced entrances yet ... my bees were very busy today and using the full width of the entrance, certainly no sign of a cluster. Better to wait until they stop flying on a regular basis - usually the first real frost is the best indicator. Depends very much on where you are in the country ... here in sub tropical Hampshire it's 15 degrees at present and a steady flow of bees in and out of the hive collecting pollen.

My insulation is on all year ... just top it up a bit in winter with an extra 50mm of Kingspan.

 

[Heather]

Yes, bit early for mouseguards as precious pollen gets knocked off. Mice look for shelter when much cooler.
Maybe in Nov but always weather dependent.

 

[Erichalfbee]

A good idea to paint rim of excluder red. Then you can spot it in a stack easily.

 

[itma]

A good idea to paint rim of excluder red. Then you can spot it in a stack easily.

Worth mentioning the unstated assumption that you, sensibly, use QXs with rims …
If you don't get one for Christmas, hope there are some in the New Year sales!
Framed, rigid wire QXs may not be perfect, but they do make life more pleasant for the beekeeper (and seemingly the bees).

 

[enrico]

Either you all have big bees or small mice. I have no problem at all with pollen getting knocked off when using my mouse guards. They are normal thorns metal type. Bees fit through with full loads easily. So.......I have my mouse guards on, mice once and never again! They manage with reduced entrances with no problem too. What do you think they are going to do if they have to wait for two seconds before entering? Get fed up and find another hive? No! They will all get in with no problem. You all worry too much!
E

 

[Arfermo]

All my hives are on 12" stands and all with small entrances all year. Used mouseguards on a couple some years ago but no sign of any mice in any others so haven't bothered with them since. Thinks - must get rid of the couple of MGs I have to someone whose hive entrances are at ground level !!!

 

[BeeJayBee]

There should be NO queen excluders in place now.. or you may lose that colony.

Surely it depends where the QE is?

If it's on top of the brood box with nothing above other than a feeder, or feeder eke, and crownboard then there will be no harm done. If it's below the box it may work as a mouseguard even though it might knock off some pollen.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

'In place' to me indicates between brood box ( or whatever the pedants say I should call it) and the super (same applies)

 

[B Special]

I am only a "beginner" but I will be placing a mouse guard onto my one and only WBC and thats me done. Nice & simple.

 

[Dishmop]

All my hives are on 12" stands and all with small entrances all year. Used mouseguards on a couple some years ago but no sign of any mice in any others so haven't bothered with them since. Thinks - must get rid of the couple of MGs I have to someone whose hive entrances are at ground level !!!

You think mice cant climb?

 

[user 6228]

A good idea to paint rim of excluder red. Then you can spot it in a stack easily.

Excellent!
or if a thin frameless QE, a tag made of folded over gaffer tape so that it sticks out from the hive...
all bit like the "Remove before flight" tags on aircraft... in this case "Remove before winter"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remove_before_flight

 

[wessexmario]

a mouse can easily climb or jump 12" high

(and probably more if it's hungry)